Azerbaijan and Türkiye are preparing joint doctoral programs for specialists in defense industry technologies.
Erol Özvar, president of Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education, known as YÖK, announced plans to expand academic cooperation during COP31 in Antalya, Vesti Baku reported.
Özvar said the next stage of the partnership would include training qualified specialists in defense technologies. The launch date, participating universities and admission requirements have not yet been announced.
From Exchanges to Joint Research
He said cooperation between the two countries already includes student and faculty exchanges, joint research and the training of young scientists. The Türkiye-Azerbaijan University in Baku remains one of the main platforms for that cooperation and offers programs from three Turkish universities.
The plans build on a memorandum signed Sept. 30 at the ADEX 2026 exhibition by Azerbaijan’s defense industry, science and education ministries, along with Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education and Presidency of Defense Industries. The document provides for joint engineering education, research projects and exchanges of academic staff.
Özvar’s statement signals a move from the framework agreement toward specialized postgraduate programs, although the legal and organizational details still need approval.